Cici's Bavarian Dessert Pizza: A Sweet Treat To Try

Cici's Pizza offers a variety of pizzas, including flatbread pizzas, stuffed crusts, and deep-dish pizzas. However, one of their most iconic menu items is their Bavarian dessert pizza. This sweet treat consists of a buttery dessert pizza crust topped with Bavarian cream, a sweet crumb topping, and a drizzle of icing. While the exact recipe for Cici's Bavarian dessert pizza may be difficult to replicate at home, several online sources provide similar recipes that can be made in under an hour. These recipes typically involve preparing a pizza dough, making a crumb topping, and creating a sweet sauce or filling, such as chocolate pudding or cream cheese mixed with sugar, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate chips. With creative toppings and experimental flavours, anyone can make a delicious dessert pizza at home.

Preparing the crumb topping

To prepare the crumb topping for CiCi's Bavarian dessert pizza, you will need 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar. You can also add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour.

Start by combining the sugar, salt, and flour in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using your hands, gently work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Continue mixing and pressing the mixture until it forms a crumbly texture. You may need to adjust the amount of butter or flour slightly to achieve the perfect crumbly consistency.

Once you have achieved the desired crumbly texture, set the topping aside until you are ready to assemble your pizza. This crumb topping will add a sweet and buttery flavour to your dessert pizza, complementing the Bavarian cream and creating a delicious contrast in textures.

Feel free to experiment with different types of sugar or even add spices to the crumb topping to create unique flavour profiles. For example, you could try using brown sugar or adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the mixture. Get creative and adjust the recipe to your taste preferences!

Rolling out the dough

To start, preheat your oven to 440 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.

Now, it's time to roll out the dough. Dust your work surface with flour. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface and make it easier to handle. Take your prepared pizza dough and place it on the floured surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll out the dough, working from the centre outwards. Roll the dough into a circular shape, turning it frequently as you roll to ensure even thickness. Aim for a thickness of approximately 3 cm. If you prefer a thinner crust, you can roll the dough to your desired thickness. You can also cut the dough into smaller pieces to make miniature pizzas.

Once you have rolled out the dough to your desired size and thickness, carefully transfer it onto your greased pizza pan. Use your fingers to gently press the dough towards the edges of the pan, shaping it to fit the pan neatly. Be careful not to stretch the dough too thin, especially at the corners, to avoid any tears or holes.

At this point, you can dock the dough by pricking it all over with a fork. This step helps create a more even crust and prevents the dough from forming air bubbles while baking.

Baking the dough

To make the dough for CiCi's Bavarian dessert pizza, you'll first need to prepare your ingredients. Get your hands on some unsalted butter, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and pizza dough. You can either make the pizza dough from scratch or buy a pre-made one. If you're feeling adventurous, you can experiment with different flavoured doughs, such as a no-bake cookie dough recipe.

Once you have your ingredients, start by preheating your oven to 440 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating up, grease a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. This will ensure your pizza doesn't stick to the pan.

Now it's time to prepare the dough. On a floured surface, roll out your dough into a circular shape until it's about 3 cm thick. You can use a rolling pin for this, or if you don't have one, you can gently press and stretch the dough with your hands. Once your dough is rolled out, carefully transfer it to your greased pizza pan.

The next step is to dock the dough. This simply means pricking the dough all over with a fork. This step is important as it prevents the dough from puffing up too much while baking. After docking the dough, it's ready to go into the oven for its initial bake. Bake the dough for approximately 10 minutes. This will give the dough a nice, light golden colour and a slightly crispy texture.

Once the dough is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool briefly. You don't want it to cool completely, but it should be cool enough to handle. This initial baking process is crucial as it provides a stable base for your toppings and prevents your crust from becoming soggy.

And there you have it! You've successfully baked the dough for your CiCi's Bavarian dessert pizza. Now, you can move on to adding the delicious toppings that make this dessert pizza so special.

Adding the pudding

To make the Bavarian cream for CiCi's dessert pizza, you'll need to prepare a pudding mix. For a chocolate pudding mix, simply add milk as directed on the packaging, and heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously until thickened. You can also try a cream cheese mixture by mixing cream cheese with sugar, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate chips for a tangier, creamier sauce.

If you're making a Bavarian cream, you'll need to prepare a pudding mix with milk and follow the package instructions. Once you've prepared the pudding, spread it on the dough, and sprinkle with a crumb topping. The pudding layer is essential to the taste and texture of the dessert pizza, so be generous!

For a thicker, richer pudding layer, you can add a little more milk or cream to the mix. This will give the pudding a creamier consistency and a smoother taste. Just be sure to heat and stir the mixture thoroughly so that it thickens evenly. You don't want a runny pudding on your pizza!

If you're feeling adventurous, you can experiment with different pudding flavours. Why not try a butterscotch or banana pudding for a unique twist? Or, for a more indulgent treat, add some chocolate chips or nuts to the pudding before spreading it on the dough.

Finally, don't forget to prepare your crumb topping while the pudding is cooking. The crumb topping adds a delicious, crunchy texture to the dessert pizza. Simply combine sugar, salt, and flour in a mixing bowl, then add butter. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your hands until it forms coarse crumbs. This sweet, buttery topping is the perfect finishing touch to your CiCi's-inspired dessert pizza.

Finishing with icing

To finish your Cici's Bavarian dessert pizza, you'll want to add a drizzle of icing. There are a few ways to do this, and you can get creative with your presentation.

First, prepare a simple icing by mixing icing sugar with a small amount of water. You can add a tiny amount of food colouring if you like, perhaps a pastel shade of your choice. You could also add a drop of lemon juice to the mix to add a little zing to your icing. Mix well until you have a smooth, glossy icing.

Now, you can either drizzle this over the pizza in a random pattern or create a more uniform design. For a random pattern, simply pour the icing into a small squeeze bottle and squeeze it over the pizza in a free-form style. You could also put the icing in a small plastic bag, cut a tiny corner off, and squeeze the icing through the hole in a zig-zag pattern. For a more uniform design, use a piping bag with a small, round nozzle. Pipe straight lines or swirls across the pizza, or create a criss-cross pattern. You could even pipe small dots or rosettes for a more intricate finish.

Finally, you can add some extra decorations to your icing. Perhaps some colourful sprinkles or some chopped nuts. You could even add some small, fresh berries or some grated chocolate.

Frequently asked questions